Eren

Biodata

Background / History

Eren grew up in Grisha’s household in Shiganshina alongside Mikasa. He dreamed of joining the Survey Corps and exploring beyond the walls, rejecting a life confined within them. This shared interest brought him close to Yago, and the two formed a friendship group with Mikasa and Armin 5.

When the Colossal Titan breached Shiganshina’s gate, Eren rushed home to find Carla. Hannes carried him and Mikasa away while a Titan seized his mother, leaving Eren furious at Hannes, himself, and the Titans. Yago secretly used his Titan power to rescue Carla, allowing the family to reunite. Eren thanked him without learning how the rescue had actually happened 5 6.

After Wall Maria fell, Eren renewed his promise to join the Survey Corps, exterminate the Titans, and reclaim their home. The refugees evacuated to Trost, where Carla’s injured leg prompted her family and Lucia’s household to move in together. Armin later joined them after losing his grandfather in the Wall Maria Reclamation Battle 7 8.

Grisha initially survived the disaster and reunited with his family. Later, he and Eren disappeared for several days; Hannes eventually returned with Eren alone. Eren blamed himself for his father’s disappearance but remembered little beyond fragmented instructions concerning the basement inside Wall Maria 8.

Personality

Eren is hot-blooded, stubborn, and driven by a desire for freedom. His hatred of Titans and refusal to remain confined within the walls shape his military ambitions. His graduation assessment identifies his perseverance, initiative, and sense of purpose as exceptional, despite his initially unremarkable abilities 5 24 40.

His anger often outruns his judgment. He struck a Garrison soldier who suggested abandoning the refugees, then insulted his own friends while condemning life within the walls. Carla forced him to apologize. By training, he showed some restraint: after arguing with Jean about their preferred military branches, he accepted a handshake and apologized 7 11.

Eren dislikes being treated as helpless, particularly by Mikasa. Passing balance training delighted him partly because he believed she would no longer need to look after him. Nevertheless, he protects others himself: during winter training he helped shield Armin from the storm, and at Trost he risked his life to save him 16 29 31 50.

Abilities & Skills

Hand-to-Hand Combat

Eren developed his combat ability through sustained practice rather than obvious natural talent 40.

• Trained with Mikasa and learned techniques that Yago had acquired from Annie 23.
• Became considerably stronger through this instruction 23.
• Received a combat score of 9 at graduation, although his tactical thinking and cooperation scored substantially lower 40.

Omni-Directional Mobility Gear

Eren overcame his early balance-training difficulties and became capable of using Omni-Directional Mobility Gear in battle 14 15 43.

• Successfully maintained his balance during the second test and received Keith’s permission to remain a recruit 15.
• Dodged the Colossal Titan’s sweeping arm, anchored his hooks into its body, and approached its nape 43.
• Arrested his fall by hooking into the wall after the Colossal Titan vanished 43.
• Still made mistakes late in training, including getting a blade lodged in a Titan model 37.

Graduation Assessment

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Omni-Directional Mobility Gear — Issued during training and used in the defense of Trost 24 43.
• Twin blades — Carried during the confrontation with armed thieves and used to attack the Colossal Titan’s nape 29 43.
• Training Corps uniform — Received upon acceptance into the corps 8.

Relationships

• Mikasa Ackerman — Childhood companion and devoted protector. Eren resists her constant supervision but is affected by her feelings: when Yago jokes about them having a child, he eventually says they should wait until the Titans are driven out. The narration later clarifies that he is not entirely unaware of romance, though he vaguely feels that becoming involved with her would be a bad idea 5 19 29 41.
• Armin — Close childhood friend and fellow trainee. Armin encourages him through balance training; Eren later saves him from a Titan at the cost of being swallowed himself 5 14 15 50.
• Yago Norman — Friend, housemate, and fellow aspiring Scout. Eren is grateful to him for saving Carla, while Yago supports his training and shares his ambition to join the Survey Corps 6 7 8 14.
• Carla — Mother. She initially opposes his Survey Corps ambitions, reprimands his impulsiveness, and worries about his enlistment 5 7 8.
• Grisha — Father. His disappearance leaves Eren with guilt and fragmented memories about a key, the basement, the truth, and a power described as “not a curse” 8 14.
• Jean Kirstein — Rival whose wish for an easy life in the Military Police clashes with Eren’s ideals. Despite their hostility, Jean privately recognizes Eren’s willingness to charge into danger 11 14 48.
• Hannes — Rescued Eren and Mikasa during Shiganshina’s fall. Eren initially resented his inability to save Carla, who survived through Yago’s intervention 6 42.
• Keith — Training instructor. Keith initially doubts Eren’s suitability for military life but authorizes him to continue after his successful balance test 14 15.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Training and Graduation

• Enrollment: In 848, Eren eagerly accompanies Yago, Mikasa, and Armin to enlist. All four are accepted 8.
• Balance-training crisis: Repeated failures threaten his ambition to become a soldier. He seeks advice throughout the dormitory and continues practicing despite humiliation and injuries. His second successful test surprises Keith, who examines his straps 14 15.
• Field exercises: Eren finds Jean and Mark after they become lost in the forest. During a later exercise, armed thieves overpower his group before Yago’s party rescues them 26 29.
• Branch selection: He places sixth at graduation and chooses the Survey Corps. Mikasa and Armin also commit to joining, despite his concern about the danger 40 41.

Defense of Trost

While servicing the wall’s cannons, Eren witnesses the Colossal Titan’s return. Recognizing its deliberate destruction of the artillery as evidence of intelligence, he immediately attacks its nape. The Titan disappears before he can strike 42 43.

Eren then deploys with the 34th Class under Thomas’s command. When a bearded Titan catches Armin, Eren intervenes and is eaten in his place. Armin later reports this to Yago at the supply station 44 50.

A pointy-eared Titan subsequently fights other Titans nearby. Both Yago and Mikasa find it unusually familiar, but the supplied account ends before anyone confirms who is inside it 50.

Unresolved Encounter

• In Yago’s vision-like encounter, an unidentified man is addressed as Eren before departing. His connection to the trainee Eren is not established in the supplied passages 21.

Notable Quotes

“I'm joining the Survey Corps! I'll drive every last one of those Titans out! One day, we'll take back our home!” 7

“We work ourselves to death learning how to fight Titans, only so we can get away from them.” 23